Hollander's contribution to the group is its only donation as of the most recent reporting period.

Electioneering Communications Organizations are set up in Florida law similar to Political Action Committees, or PACS.

There's no limit on the amount of money they can collect and spend. They can not advocate for or against a particular candidate but their message can clearly infer an appeal to vote for or against someone.

So far the group has spent $31,000 on a mailer promoting Smith but it has also produced one-minute videos posted on You Tube that attempt to make the case that Carr is not fit to be a judge.

Local attorney Jerry Berry says such negative messages would be off limits to Smith, who as a candidate for judge is bound by rules of judicial conduct. "An attorney can't do that sort of thing," Berry said.

But the ECO isn't governed by those rules. Berry says the ads are outrageous.

"They put out these horribly misleading videos. They're just made up cases," Berry said.

In one video a man describes getting a minor traffic ticket in Collier County and appearing before Carr. He says he was fined $600, had points imposed against his license and had his license suspended, leaving him without the ability to drive to work. "Judge Carr didn't seem to care. It's not fair. It's not right," he laments.

The ad goes on to label Carr a "slick politician" and says his decision was later overturned on appeal and that he was "scolded" by the appeals court.

A second video follows an almost identical script, only the defendant is a woman.

In both videos, fine print at the end acknowledges the person on screen is a paid actor, adding that the information is based on "true events and actual cases."

Florida Judicial Watch has also produced a 30-second video pointing out that Judge Eugene Turner, also seeking re-election against an East Coast challenger supported by Hollander and Ticket Clinic founder Mark Gold, is participating in the state's DROP program. DROP allows some public employees to retire briefly then come back and draw a salary in addition to their retirement benefits. The video calls the practice "double dipping" and says Turner is, "the wrong choice for Collier County."

The Ticket Clinic, a law firm specializing in defending traffic cases, and Collier County's judges have been at odds since 2008, when Hollander argued the judges here are too quick to suspend the licenses of people charged with speeding. In 2011 an appeals court overruled many suspensions by Carr and other judges and directed them to provide more justification when suspending licenses in the future. Later that year, Carr reheard one of the cases and again suspended the license.

Berry says the very name, Florida Judicial Watch, is misleading, pointing out it's similar to the national group Judicial Watch, which has a history of taking on prominent politicians beginning with then-President Bill Clinton.

The money Florida Judicial Watch is directing toward Smith's race is in addition to the $50,000 of his own money he loaned to his campaign.

Smith, Hollander and Florida Judicial Watch chairwoman Caroline Zelman did not respond to requests for comment.

Berry, who has at times disagreed with Carr on matters of law, says the ECO circumvents campaign contribution limits and the Judicial Canon of Ethics.

"It's just wrong, regardless of your political affiliation or views," he said.